MOORE: This thing was a mess for Minnesota for nearly a year. The Wolves bungled the situation in the summer like a child having a Roman candle go off in his hands. But this move puts some salve on the burn.
They essentially traded Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen for Saric, Covington, Bayless and the pick. That's not great return but it isn't bad, either.
WOB: This is honestly not even close to the doomsday scenario I had imagined it would be.
I do not believe for a second that Thibs didn't want to trade Butler to another team in the West. It's just a fallback to justify the trade, because the Wolves — or any team Butler would've gone to in the West — are not beating the Golden State Warriors in a seven-game series.
The other rumored trades we heard of: Four first-rounders from the Rockets probably protected through the 31st century by Daryl Morey and his CBA-bending dark magic mind + Michael Carter-Stanley from The Office. This was never a real trade, in my opinion.
Then there were the Lakers rumors, but those seemed like a stretch, too. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope can't be traded until Dec. 15, so even if the Lakers wanted to dangle Brandon Ingram and use up their hard-earned cap space on Jimmy — they don't have any tradable contracts to pair with him.
They 100% took the best deal available to them.
MOORE: Yup. Saric and Covington combined don't have nearly the value of Butler, but they are way better fits around Karl-Anthony Towns.
Covington gives Minnesota a combo forward who can shoot and switch. He was No. 1 in DRAPM last year, and is a good floor-spacer.
Saric can hit from deep and is really good in transition. He's also a willing ball-handler.
The Wolves now have all the pieces of a modern offense. They just need a modern coach.
The Wolves should look to deal for Taj Gibson right away, and look to add another shooter for when Derrick Rose returns to being post-2012 Derrick Rose.
WOB: To me, this feels like a wash for the Timberwolves, an official declaration that they're betting everything on Towns and Andrew Wiggins, which they already did transactionally but not on the court.
Meanwhile, it's a huge W for the 76ers. I don't know how Jimmy fits into this 76ers offense yet or if he'll jive with the #TrustTheProcess cult, but he is an elite talent, he's in house, and you've got plenty of time to figure it out.
MOORE: Yeah, this is the all-in move the Sixers needed to make.
Butler's shooting will take pressure off Ben Simmons, and Simmons' creation off the bounce will open up opportunities for Butler.
Butler will still work his way into tough shots, but he's also really efficient in those times. And while Butler and Embiid is a lot of personality in one locker room, Butler will respect the alpha dog in both Simmons and Embiid way more than he did Towns' approach.
Losing both Covington and Saric (The Homie!) is brutal for fans of The Process, but getting Butler could be crucial to returning to contender status in the East.
The Sixers had slid off to the middle of the pack and were vulnerable. This gives them a huge boost.
Butler is a better defender than either Saric or Covington, and a much better shot-creator. He's ball-dominant but a good playmaker.
Butler and Simmons are willing passers, and as Embiid improves there, the 76ers offense could really cook.
WOB: Yeah … Jimmy, Embiid and Simmons is an absolute wrecking ball. Good lord almighty. Surround them with 3-points shooters only (JJ Redick/Landry Shamet) and this team is now immediately back in the Eastern Conference elite conversation, which it had seemingly fallen out of with Saric hitting the sophomore wall and Markelle Fultz continuing to launch bricks at the rim looking like the real life Carlton Banks GIF. At the very least, they are now Meme Team East
MOORE: You build The Process to get a team like this. With plans to max-extend him, and presumably an agreement from Butler on that, the cost makes this work.
Deals never wind up looking exactly the way they do on the day they're made, but Minnesota salvaged some return and Philly got a star. Pretty good on both ends.
Now … the looming questions. What happens with Thibs? With Fultz? Do the Sixers add Kyle Korver? Do the Wolves tade Gibson? There's more fallout to come from a blockbuster like this.
One more thing: A recurring theme popped up when talking to executives around the league over the past several months about Butler: He's an undeniably excellent talent who every exec said they would "have" to make a deal for (assuming the price was right).
But the way the circus unfolded in Minnesota left a bad taste in people's mouths, even if the Wolves were also to blame.
Perhaps more concerning, there are a very real questions about what happens to players post-Thibs once they cross 30 years old. Butler turns 30 next year.
If this leads to Butler showing wear earlier than expected, this has disaster potential for the Sixers. Butler is a warrior, no matter how surly he is, and his work ethic is unquestionable, if Spartan at times. But the Thibs Effect needs to be factored into a worst-case scenario outlook for Philly.
